Lewis Lacey, from Winterton – who performs as Lacey – was interviewed on the BBC’s urban station 1Xtra after performing at the world famous Maida Vale studios.

The 18-year-old is now hoping his prime-time appearance will pave the way for more exposure as he prepares to release his next single.

The East Norfolk Sixth Form College student got his break on the national station after sending a clip of his current track, Cave In, to one of its presenters, DJ Target, via Twitter.

He posted the clip in a bid to link up with a producer, but Target picked up the track and played a snippet of the song on air, which led to him being invited to Maida Vale to take part in a musical “battle”.

The teen and three other up-and-coming rap stars were grouped into a team and pitted against four budding singers, to battle it out in front of a judging panel.

The rappers won and scooped the prize of being invited on-air at the weekend to be interviewed by Target, and since then Cave In has been played numerous times in full.

As well as promoting his music, the appearance has also seen Mr Lacey fulfil a life-long ambition.

The teen, who is going to university in September to study music business, said: “As a kid I’d always wanted to be on 1Xtra and have my songs played.

“You never know what’s going to happen in the future but now I have reached one of my goals, I can make more goals and hopefully aim for them.”

His new single is released on May 26. For more information about him and to hear his music, search for Lacey on Facebook or visit www.youtube.com/laceyvevo